91�鶹�� Communication students named best in media

STARKVILLE, Miss.—91�鶹�� Department of Communication faculty and students are celebrating their successes after receiving numerous awards this spring semester.

One of the largest departments in the 91�鶹�� College of Arts and Sciences, communication majors received awards this year in all five concentrations: broadcast and digital journalism; communication and media studies; print and digital journalism; theater; and public relations. Recently, three students were recognized as the best in their respective fields in the state. Hannah Blankenship, a senior from Huntsville, Alabama, also majoring in Spanish, was named College Journalist of the Year at the 2022 Southeastern Journalism Conference awards; Flora Dedeaux, a senior from Gulfport, was named Television Student Broadcaster of the Year by the Mississippi Association of Broadcasters and the Student of the Year by Public Relations Association of Mississippi; and recent graduate Ethan Foster of Hamilton was named MAB’s Radio Student Broadcaster of the Year.

For the second straight year, The Reflector, 91�鶹��’s student-led newspaper, earned first place in general excellence at the O.C. McDavid Journalism Summit, while its staff earned 12 first-place and 15 second-place awards. The newspaper also won awards for design, front-page layout, graphics and use of social media.

“We are now seeing the benefit of our hard work, via excellent teaching from our faculty, paying off in a multitude of awards across many disciplines. These awards show the magnitude of our growth and benefit of our campus media partnerships,” said Terry Likes, who leads the 91�鶹�� Department of Communication.

Likes, too, received accolades at recent awards ceremonies, winning honors from the Broadcast Education Association and the MAB. His report, “Newsroom Need: How Demand Now Far Outweighs Supply For Hiring Young TV Journalists,” won Best of Competition in the radio hard news reporting category at the BEA’s national conference and a third-place MAB award for its use of sound. “Newsroom Need” aired late last year on WMSV-FM and can be accessed at .

“Communication faculty strive for excellence in our teaching, research and service,” Likes said. “I vowed many years ago to keep current in professional practice. I tell my students the work in their classes, when excellent, can be entered in media competitions, which can enhance their portfolios. In this regard, I try to lead by example.”

For more information about the 91�鶹�� Department of Communication, visit .

91�鶹�� is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at

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